Entertainment

Abe’s war, bravely sung

Zac (Max Kumangai) takes the Underground Railroad to freedom in the North.

Zac (Max Kumangai) takes the Underground Railroad to freedom in the North. (Jeremy Daniel)

Irish immigrant Johnny (Jim Stanek, from left), Northern drummer boy Jack (Alyse Alan Louis) and Confederate soldier Will (Adam Fontana) discuss their views on “The Civil War.” (
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For a conflict responsible for the most casualties in American history, the Civil War had one heck of a soundtrack.

“Dixie,” “When Johnny Comes Marching Home,” “The Battle Cry of Freedom” and other rousing songs from the period make “The Civil War” — this summer’s free children’s show from Theatreworks USA — a breezy history lesson.

Told from the perspectives of those on both sides of the conflict, North and South, Arthur Perlman’s musical provides a human side to the war while delivering informational tidbits that will, with any luck, leave kids — recommended ages 8 and older — wanting to learn more.

Here we meet young Confederate soldier Will (Adam Fontana) and his best friend, Zac (Max Kumangai), a slave who takes up arms for the Union after fleeing via the Underground Railroad; Northerner Jack (Alyse Alan Louis), a drummer boy who isn’t what he seems; and Johnny (Jim Stanek), an Irish immigrant who volunteers to protect his new home.

Michael Thomas Walker plays an amusing succession of Union generals as well as Abraham Lincoln himself, delivering snippets from his “A House Divided” speech and the Emancipation Proclamation.

At one point, the men also portray a group of hoop-skirt-wearing Southern belles.

“This humidity is simply ghastly for my hair,” one complains.

The episodic story line is punctuated with funny bits like that one, but doesn’t shy from showing some of the wrenching consequences of war — as when Jack refuses to leave a fellow soldier’s dead body on the battlefield.

Nimbly directed by Jonathan Silverstein, the show marks a refreshing change of pace from the usual spate of kids’ shows about talking bunnies. Much like the troupe’s 2010 “We the People,” which provided a rocking civics lesson, “The Civil War” enlightens as it entertains.

Free tickets, limited to four per adult, are available on a first-come, first-served basis at the box office on the day of the performance, one hour before the first show; for more information, visit twusa.org.